Frog Call Monitoring

Volunteers around Iowa are collecting frog call data from a variety of species.

Possible Guiding, Compelling and/or Anchoring Questions

• What could be causing the decline of amphibians in Iowa?
• What information does the frog call monitoring give us?
• What can be done to prevent the decline of amphibians?

Classroom Suggestions

Students could:

• Recall a situation where they have heard the sounds of frogs, also ask if they are familiar with the frog calling program.
• Discuss as a class the types of data that the frog monitors were collecting.
• Brainstorm in pairs why it would be important to collect the different types of data from different locations in Iowa.
• Read an article or case study about another type of amphibian or reptile (turtles) and its decline in Iowa.
• Create a diagram of the potential effects this might have on an ecosystem with the decline on the frog population.
• Research potential causes of frog population decline in Iowa.
• Create a poster, presentation, podcast, brochure or video to highlight their research and a plan to mitigate the effects of humans that could be causing the frog population decline.

Related Resources

• Amphibians and Reptiles of Iowa: Frogs and Toads: Frog and toad species living in the state.
• Iowa Public Radio: Study Is First to Chart Amphibian Populations’ Decline in the U.S.: Gives specific data on the rate of decline of amphibians overtime in the United States.
• Des Moines Register: Demand for Meat Threatens Iowa’s Wild Turtles: Shows how human actions of harvesting turtle meat for Asian countries have impacted Iowa’s turtles.